Here at The Northern Echo we recently asked our readers to tell us which were the best bakeries in County Durham and Darlington for our Best Bakery competition - here are the finalists.

Whether you are a fan of a pasty, pastry, stottie loaf or sandwich, there are certainly a whole host of fantastic independent bakeries across the county to choose from.

This means we could not be more excited to crown our Best Bakery of 2024 - and there are some really strong contenders.

The Northern Echo Best Bakery 2024.The Northern Echo Best Bakery 2024. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

After receiving all of your nominations, the top ten can now be revealed. Did your favourite make the list?

  • Bakerman (9 Clark’s Yard, Darlington, DL3 7QH) 
  • Bank Top Bakery (127 Victoria Road, Darlington, DL1 5JJ)
  • Longstaff’s Family Bakers (91 Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, DL14 7EW)
  • Milligans (13 Church Street, Shildon, DL4 1DS) 
  • Nobia and Sons (19 Horse Market, Barnard Castle, DL12 8LY) 
  • Number Eight Bakehouse (21 Post House Wynd, Darlington, DL3 7LP)
  • Robineau Café & Pattiserie (27 W Auckland Road, Darlington, DL3 9EL)
  • The Leas Bakery (Thompson St E, Darlington, DL1 3BA)
  • Thomas The Baker (33 High Row, Darlington, DL3 7QW)
  • Walkers Butchers & Bakers (Simpasture Gate, Newton Aycliffe, DL5 5JZ)

Voting will open soon, and we will feature each of the pubs from September 2 so we can learn more about what makes each one so popular.

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Readers will then be able vote for their ‘Best Bakery 2024’ by picking up copies of The Northern Echo in the days to follow as we profile all the lucky finalists.

Editor of The Northern Echo, Gavin Foster, said: "I have to say that our region has some of the best bakers and bakeries with a fantastic selection of everything from pastries to fresh bread.

"We're looking forward to recognising each of our finalists and finding out more about them before our readers choose the winner. Best of luck to all our nominees!"